L.E.A.D. (Law Enforcement Against Drugs & Violence) Promotes Employee Beth Jones to Regional Director
Former Vice President of Program Development is Promoted to Regional Director to Grow the L.E.A.D. Program in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina
COLLIER COUNTY, FL – Aug. xx, 2024 – Beth Jones, former vice president of program development for L.E.A.D. (Law Enforcement Against Drugs & Violence), was promoted to the position of regional director for the organization. L.E.A.D. is a nationwide nonprofit that works with communities to help students understand the dangers of drugs and violence. In her new role, Mrs. Jones will be responsible for spreading the L.E.A.D. program, which educates students on the importance of drug and violence prevention and teaches them how to set attainable goals, manage their emotions and make wise decisions, throughout the states of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
“We’re proud to announce the promotion and appointment of Mrs. Jones to the position of regional director,” said Nick DeMauro, CEO of L.E.A.D. “The success that she’s had with our program combined with the hard work that she puts in each day will prepare her for this next challenger in her career.”
“When an opening for regional director opened, Mrs. Jones was the obvious choice when it came to filling that role,” added Mr. DeMauro. “We look forward to seeing how L.E.A.D. grows in the states that she’s responsible for, which will help us to continue achieving our goal of bettering the relationship between police officers and communities.”
L.E.A.D. provides services “On The Street” and “In The Classroom” as it brings law enforcement and communities closer together. The “In The Classroom” program is taught by more than 5,000 trained instructors in 45 states, who are serving more than 500,000 students in 2,500 school systems. L.E.A.D. has a proven-effective, law enforcement-focused anti-drug, anti-violence curriculum for K–12 students in the U.S. The L.E.A.D. curriculum is taught over the course of a 10-week program to educate youth on how they can make smart decisions without the involvement of drugs or violence.
Before retiring, Mrs. Jones worked for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office for 32 years, most recently in the youth services division. During her time there, she worked on the L.E.A.D. program for seven years, where she was an integral part of the expansion of L.E.A.D. in Florida, as the largest L.E.A.D. program taught in the United States became Collier County.
Mrs. Jones quickly became a L.E.A.D.er and master trainer for the organization, where she traveled to train school and law enforcement personnel to teach the program, expanding the network of L.E.A.D. instructors across the country. She then joined L.E.A.D. after her retirement, first serving as Florida program administrator and then vice president of program development. Mrs. Jones has been with the organization for two years.
“I’m very excited to get started in my new role as regional director,” said Mrs. Jones. “The evidence-based curriculum implemented by L.E.A.D. is vital for all students, so I look forward to increasing the number of programs that are taught to school children in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.”
“Knowing that I’ll be contributing towards protecting more kids from the dangers of drugs and violence and providing them with important life skills to set them up for successful futures is an incredibly rewarding feeling,” she added.
About L.E.A.D.
L.E.A.D. provides the leadership, resources and management to ensure law enforcement agencies have the means to partner with educators, community leaders and families. L.E.A.D. succeeds by providing proven effective programs to deter youth and adults from drug use, drug related crimes, bullying and violence. L.E.A.D. is committed to reinforcing the mutual respect, goodwill and relations between law enforcement and their communities. For more information, visit https://www.leadrugs.org/.
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